West Indies v England, preview

The second of the super 8 games promises to be an interesting one. It is interesting because both, West Indies and England, have had a tricky trip so far. West Indies have made it through without winning a single game. England come in on the back of a demoralising loss to India. At first sight there is little to pick between the two sides. Neither will start as the overwhelming favourite.

England:

What clicked and what didn't

It's hard to pick what has clicked for England so far. The batting which did so well against Afghanistan turned out a cropper against India. Luke Wright was the star against Afghanistan with the bat. He managed to get support from the other batsmen as well. However that performance has been overshadowed by their dismal show against the Indian spinners. It has left the team with many unanswered questions.

The bowling, England's biggest strength, has performed slightly better. Graeme Swann has been the pick with his consistent show. The pacers combined well against Afghanistan but were a let down against the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

What to expect

Despite the batting failure, England is unlikely to make any big changes. They would prefer to treat the game against India as a one-off and are expected to go in with pretty much the same batting order. Samit Patel could add some value with his skills in batting and bowling. England are still the defending champions and it would be foolish to write them off after just one poor performance. They would come out with specific plans to counter the West Indies spin attack led by Sunil Narine and that will be one of the key battles that could decide their fate in the tournament.

West Indies:

What clicked and what didn't:

The calypso men have not had a proper outing thus far with both their games being affected by rain. They've done enough to show that they are strong contenders for the cup. The batting was impressive against a strong Australian attack. The good show from seniors like Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels augurs well for them. The bowlers did not have much time against Australia. Like England against India, they too are likely to forget that game in a hurry. They would derive more confidence from their game against Ireland where they performed splendidly as a group.

What to expect:

The intentions have been laid bare. West Indies will try to expose England's weakness against spin further. In Sunil Narine they have just the man to lead the way. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels can be expected to chip in with a little more than their usual quota. The lack of two whole games could act as worry them a bit but it will also mean that the players are fresher than usual. They will be a force to reckon with.

Unbeatable on their day, mesmerising the opposition and haplessly poor on the other, collapsing like 9 pins, but Nikhil Narain finds out why they have been so consistent in the shortest format of the game.